Shops Out Front, Beds Out Back: How a Salvation Army Hostel Rents Space to House 35 Homeless Men

• The Salvation Army’s William Chamberlin men’s hostel in downtown Kingston sheltered about 35 people
• Around six rooms were rented to shopkeepers to help pay bills and wages
• Shop rents ranged from $3,000 to $5,000 a week
• The hostel appealed for help to renovate its bathrooms and kitchen

On Peter’s Lane in downtown Kingston, the Salvation Army’s William Chamberlin men’s hostel sheltered and fed about 35 homeless people in 2017. That October it asked the public for help to fix up its bathrooms and kitchen, the Jamaica Observer reported.

“We really need the help, especially to the bathrooms and the kitchen where we serve food to the people,” said Major Selbourn Oates, the hostel’s administrator. Help so far had been limited. “We received some tiles from Food for the Poor to help with the renovations but that’s it,” he said.

The hostel has found its own way to cover some costs: it rents about six rooms to shop operators, and the money goes towards utility bills and staff wages. Mark Powell, who ran a phone repair business from one of the spaces, said rents depend on size. “I pay about $5,000 per week for the space, other shops may pay $3,000 per week, it depends on the size,” he said. He had been renting there for about nine months and had another shop for about a year and a half.

Oates also wanted to get residents working. “We want to give jobs to those persons who are capable of working and help them get jobs, if it’s even to cut grass and power wash buildings,” he said, calling for organisations to partner with the Salvation Army on employment.

The model is worth noticing. Using part of a downtown building as shop space turns the property into a source of income, so rent from small businesses helps pay for beds and meals for men who have nowhere else to go.

Many Jamaican churches own buildings in town centres that sit half-used for most of the week, while their social ministries depend on collections and occasional donations. Renting street-facing rooms to small businesses, on proper written agreements and with attention to tax and planning rules, can give a congregation steady income for its outreach. For returnees and diaspora supporters, the Chamberlin hostel shows that the most sustainable faith housing projects often combine charity with a modest, reliable rental income.

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